A Night of Desperation

Chapter 299: Dao Artifacts Three

"Profound Level!"

Yu Mo and the others immediately felt relieved that there was no failure, but a trace of disappointment also welled up. Yu Hong’s talent was already so formidable; could it really not secure the best Dao Artifact?

"With Ding Rou’s talent, she can only gain recognition at the Profound Level. How outstanding must Ku Chan of Zihe Palace’s talent be to receive the unique Emperor’s Weapon from a sect above the Heavenly Level?" Yu Hen sighed.

"Temple Master, the Profound Level is already very good. Perhaps it’s not Ding Rou’s fault, but that he has cultivated for too short a time. His Daoist cultivation and foundation are not strong. Maybe we should have brought him here later," Yu Mo consoled. A cultivator can only choose one Inheritance Dao Artifact, and coming again is pointless as it wouldn’t gain recognition from Heaven.

"Such is fate... Nevertheless, the Profound Level is not bad," Yu Hen stepped forward to comfort Yu Hong.

"Mm, thank you, Temple Master," Yu Hong was actually quite satisfied on his own.

He knew his own situation. Fundamentally, his talent wasn’t the highest. The rapid progress in his Daoist cultivation was most likely due to the special trait of Tao Breath Circulation.

It must be said that the trait developed from the Thunderbolt Leg is simply like an AFK cultivation cheat.

Walking, sitting, lying down, sleeping—always cultivating without a break. The efficiency, with one day equating to two or three days for others.

Although he had only practiced for a little over three months, essentially it was as if he had practiced for half a year.

The shock of those Inheritance Dao Artifacts was more due to the vast and chaotic aura on him.

He suspected that the Inheritance Dao Artifacts might have sensed the terrifying aura from the Cosmic Divine Light in him.

After all, it was one of the representative forces that could obliterate the world, the Source Disaster.

Hence, he accepted the evaluation from Inheritance Hall.

After all, others rely on talent, but he has an external cheat.

’But Guang Han... the Moon Palace?’ Yu Hong thought unconsciously of his own thin Moon God Bloodline...

Another name for the Infinite River Technique could still be Moon’s Call.

His selection by Guang Han, it’s hard to say there’s no connection.

"By the way, what level is the Emperor’s Weapon exactly? And Ku Chan of Zihe Palace..." he asked again.

"Zihe Palace, one of the Innate Nine Sects in the Taoist Sect, ranks just below the upper and lower Heavenly Master Mansion in terms of power and strength within the entire Taoist community. The contemporary number one Dao Seed of Zihe Palace, a supreme talent named Ku Chan Taoist. Only in his late twenties, he has already practiced the Zihe Palace Daoist Skills, the Purple Cloud Nine Strategies, to the topmost Ninth Layer. He is versed and adept in all seventy-three Techniques passed down by the palace. In addition, he has inherited their sect’s Emperor’s Weapon, the Chi Xiao Sword; his current strength... likely only some of the older generation top experts of the Nine Sects can barely suppress him," Yu Hen explained.

"Luckily, Ku Chan is amiable and courteous, and will undoubtedly be the pillar of our Taoist Sect’s future," Yu Mo added.

"Master, you haven’t described what an Emperor’s Weapon is?" Yu Hong pressed on.

"Mm, I’m not clear on that either, but according to the contemporary Taoist Sect leader, Left Heavenly Master, if Dao Artifacts are rated by a value of one million, then Emperor’s Weapon would be at least a hundred million in magnitude," Yu Mo said seriously, stroking his beard. "I only learned elementary school mathematics, so don’t blame me if I can’t describe it clearly."

"..." Yu Hong.

"However, because a sect usually can only cultivate one Emperor’s Weapon, in essence, it is still considered to be of the Heavenly Level. It is just the strongest piece that emerged from the intra-level competition," Yu Hen added.

"Then, other than Ku Chan, has anyone else received an Emperor’s Weapon?" Zheng Xia, who had never heard these secrets, couldn’t help but interject.

"No, even for the current leader of the Taoist Sect, Left Heavenly Master, it’s only a Heavenly Level Dao Artifact. Only Ku Chan has inherited an Emperor’s Weapon," Yu Hen shook his head, "It is rumored that when Chi Xiao is unsheathed, heaven and earth burn. Such powerful flames can even affect reality, not just burn away resentful marks, but also turn the surrounding reality into a vast sea of fire. Such might... is truly unimaginable..."

"That powerful..." Yu Hong narrowed his eyes, gently holding his Guang Han crescent pendant. "Then isn’t Ku Chan practically invincible?"

"One cannot rely solely on Dao Artifacts. In the competition of Daoist Skills, although Dao Artifacts are important, personal Daoist Skills and Techniques are more so. The time a Dao Artifact’s divinity lasts also depends entirely on how long one’s Daoist cultivation can be sustained," Yu Mo then laughed.

"Didn’t you say that Ku Chan Taoist has already practiced his sect’s Purple Cloud Nine Strategies to the utmost?" Yu Hong asked.

"Er..." Yu Mo’s smile faltered, and he stroked his beard, "But the contemporary Taoist Sect leader, Left Heavenly Master, has practiced his own Daoist Skills to a breakthrough limit, and he cultivates a variety of Daoist Skills while the effect of Dao Artifacts on reality is not significant. I think, even if Chi Xiao is strong, using it against actual practitioners might be equivalent to the explosive power of an incendiary grenade..."

"Can you withstand an incendiary grenade?" Yu Hen asked sardonically.

"..." Yu Mo was at a loss for words.

Yu Hong and Zheng Xia also started laughing.

"Alright, with the Inheritance Dao Artifact in hand, next you’ll focus all your effort on Daoist Skills! Whatever other needs you have, we will take care of them!!" Yu Hen declared, deciding to build up Qingchen Temple’s rise to power centered around Yu Hong!

Although it was somewhat disappointing only to get the Profound Level, Yu Hong was still Qingchen Temple’s strongest talent! Channeling resources towards him was a given.

"Ku Chan took twelve years to grow. Our target need not be too ambitious; we aim to reverse Qingchen Temple’s last-place ranking within five years!"

These words released a trace of expectation on the faces of Yu Hen and Yu Mo.

To the side, Zheng Xia, seeing how much importance both of them placed on Yu Hong, flickered with a hint of a daze.

For this was the scene she had dreamt of countless times: her elders no longer disappointed by her cultivation progress, but showing excitement and pride in their words.

Unfortunately... such a scene did not belong to her.

After leaving the Inheritance Hall and exiting the museum.

Yu Hong’s treatment noticeably stepped up a notch, with undercover armed bodyguards arranged to be around his living quarters at all times.

Police patrol cars would idly cruise around him, and any sound within a hundred meters that could potentially disturb his cultivation, such as karaoke venues, were all halted.

The property deed for the small courtyard Yu Hong was renting was delivered to his house the very next day.

"From today onwards, this courtyard is yours, Brother Ding Rou," Zheng Xia explained softly, accompanied by two Taoists at the door. "The temple, in order to allow you to cultivate in peace without disturbance, has decided to gift you the property rights to this courtyard."

"In addition, to ensure you are not affected by external factors and minimize all distractions, we have arranged a professional medicinal diet chef to prepare three meals a day for you and deliver them to your home. Here is the menu." She handed over a laminated printed sheet.

"This...." Yu Hong took the property deed, took the menu, still somewhat dazed.

On it were things like Silver Deer Antler and Water Chestnut Blood Tonic Soup, Chinese Yam and Poria Cocos Phoenix Soup, Hundred-Year-Old Turtle Steamed, Braised Thousand-Year Ganoderma Lucidum Yellow Croaker...

What kind of bizarre dishes are these???

"Moreover, the Temple Master strongly recommends arranging a personal assistant for you, to take care of your special physiological needs and prevent any incidents of seeking external seeds." Zheng Xia said this with a slight blush on her face.

She stepped aside, allowing the person behind her to slowly step forward.

A sweet-looking girl in a black leotard, gently stepped forward, her permed black hair tied up in a single ponytail. Wearing pure white delicate dance leggings, she stood in front of Yu Hong and waved lightly.

"Hello, Mr. Yu, I’m your special personal assistant, Xiao Bai. From today on, I’ll be living in the yard next to yours, at your service whenever you need."

"....." Decadence.

Such decadence!

Only now did Yu Hong understand why everyone at Qingchen Temple wholeheartedly supported the current Temple Master Yu Hen’s ascension.

Considering this level of corrupting power, even he couldn’t help but be somewhat tempted.

"Alright, you can call me directly if you need anything. I’ll be responsible for your affairs here onwards," Zheng Xia said earnestly.

"Wouldn’t this delay your cultivation?" Yu Hong asked in surprise.

Zheng Xia was also a Dao Seed Class Disciple; how come she ended up taking care of his chores? This did not make sense.

"I requested it myself," Zheng Xia said solemnly, her gaze complex as she looked at Yu Hong. "My Daoist cultivation hasn’t made any breakthroughs for a long time. Holding onto the resources and privileges given for enjoyment, I feel guilty towards my master, so doing what I can also counts as repayment."

In fact, she had an unspoken thought.

That was she wanted to secretly observe the differences between Yu Hong’s cultivation and her own. She considered herself a genius as well; the gap shouldn’t be this big.

Both being human, she believed that even if her aptitude was somewhat lacking, diligence might help bridge part of that gap.

She had been stuck at the Third Layer for a long time. But hearing about Yu Hong reaching the Fifth Layer as soon as he arrived... that kind of shock... really made her lose all motivation to cultivate.

She was eager to find out, how a genius like Yu Hong cultivated.

Additionally, she faintly felt that her master was hinting at the possibility of her getting together with Yu Hong.

If the two prominent Dao Seeds could unite and create offspring, it would be a good phenomenon for the entire Qingchen Temple.

After all, a family with a wife and children is a strong bond.

"I understand, if sister has any inquiries, Ding Rou will not keep anything secret," Yu Hong sincerely said.

His Daoist skills came purely through hard practice; he truly had no secrets. The rapid progress was entirely because of his resilient will, likely forged in the Black Disaster.

Honestly, he suspected that any person from the camp could reach the level of a Daoist genius in terms of will.

"I’ll have to trouble junior brother then," Zheng Xia said as she clasped her hands and bowed.

"As I should," Yu Hong nodded and returned the bow.

***

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***

Thousands of kilometers away from Huangsong Island, in a vast desolate deep blue sea.

A small dolphin, flapping its tail, chased after a school of little silverfish in the water.

Beneath it, a mass of rich black color swiftly surfaced.

The blackness rapidly expanded, growing wider, and in the blink of an eye, it covered a diameter of several hundred meters around it.

The dolphin curiously looked down at the blackness, emitting a series of chirps.

But it didn’t notice at all that its body was being ensnared by countless hair-like black threads rising silently from the black water below.

Whoosh!

All of a sudden, a faint sound of water erupted.

The figure of the small dolphin disappeared in the blink of an eye, as if it had vanished into thin air from this sea area.

Not just it – at the very same moment, all living creatures in this sea area, whether fish, turtles, shrimps, crabs, corals, all disappeared instantaneously.

Only numerous lines of black smoke rose from the water’s surface, drifting into the sky and gradually forming a huge column of grey-black smoke.

In the distance, a black ship was quickly departing from this area.

A middle-aged man draped in a black feather cloak stood at the stern of the ship, gazing at the rising black smoke column with a satisfied curve at the corner of his mouth.

"This seal has been opened. Next is the following location," he turned around and declared loudly.